1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to vehicle occupant restraint systems, and specifically to a pivoting arm that operates as a seat belt upper anchor point.
2. Background of the Invention
An occupant restraint system in a vehicle such as an automobile, truck, van, helicopter, airplane or any other self-propelled vehicle is an expensive component, yet critical for safety. A popular restraint system is the three-point system including a lap belt secured at a first and second point and a torso belt secured at the second and a third point. The first point, in many designs, comprises a lap belt inertial retractor that removes slack from the lap belt and locks-up upon a sudden stop.
The second point typically is a tongue and buckle arrangement wherein the buckle is secured to the side of a seat opposite the inertial lap belt retractor and the tongue can be secured to and released from the buckle. Respective ends of the lap belt and torso belt are either secured to the tongue in a fixed tongue arrangement or, in a sliding tongue arrangement, the lap belt and torso belt comprise a continuous belt that can slide through an opening in the tongue. The third point in a three-point system typically includes an inertial retractor located in the lower portion of a B-pillar (in the case of an automobile, for example) and the torso belt passes through a D-ring typically attached to an upper part of the B-pillar. In some more recent designs, the torso belt retractor and D-ring are attached to the seat frame.
Many recent restraining system designs provide for a vertically slideable D-ring (height adjuster) to accommodate passengers of varying size in addition to the one or both inertial retractors used to supply or take-up the appropriate amount of torso belt length to accommodate a specific individual. In any event, the constant sliding motion of the torso belt through this D-ring leads to undesirable wear on the torso belt itself, thereby decreasing the torso belt's ultimate strength and presenting undesirable appearance. Furthermore, in a fixed tongue arrangement, it is expensive to have two inertial retractors. Further still, a manual or motor driven D-ring height adjuster is expensive.